Port Adelaide’s AFLW side returned to Alberton for the first time in 2023 on Monday, for day one of pre-season training. 

Despite the rain, mid-forward Erin Phillips and her playing group were thrilled to be back, starting with time-trials, before drills and a gym session. 

Phillips spoke to the Adelaide media about how hard the group has worked in the off-season, what motivates her to keep playing football, and her expectations for the team in 2023. 

Phillips on day one of pre-season training 
“There was no dampening of the spirits today! The girls were very, very excited to be back and having what feels like a pretty long off season now, it was really good to see everybody, meet the new faces. The girls were buzzing.” 

Phillips on the off-season 
“We get an off-season (fitness) program and the girls have been very good with sticking to that. A lot of them went back and played in the SANFLW league which was awesome to get some more games in their off-season. You take ownership, this is an elite environment, you’ve got to come into pre-season fit and ready to go otherwise it’s a really hard climb to catch back up when (others) have been working in the off-season. I’m really proud of them, they’ve come back in really good nick, and I know there are a lot of PBs (personal bests) today, which we're really proud of.” 

Phillips on the addition of Ashleigh Saint 
“Ash, I’ve played with before and I connect with her really well and I know how dangerous she is up forward and it's just going to add another layer in our forward line. Obviously with Gemma Houghton up there, it's going to be exciting seeing those two working together so hopefully she can kick a bag for us as well.” 

Phillips on what motivates her 
“The love of footy, the love of this football club drives me. I love being here. I’ve had a really amazing off-season being able to be a part of (coaching in) the men's program and learning so much. Now that we’ve finally started training, I feel like all the things that I've been watching the men's team do, I’ve added it into my own game and will be sharing it with the rest of the group. I’ve absolutely loved my time here and can’t wait for the first game, but a long way to go before that.” 

Phillips on how her knee arthroscopy impacted her 2022 season 
“The surgery in itself was okay, it was just delayed because I ended up getting covid and I wasn’t allowed into a hospital for a month…I was always playing catch up. I started feeling better probably mid to the end of the season, which was unfortunate, but it gave me a lot of confidence that I knew my body was right to keep playing and I feel really good this season. Probably the biggest off season running that I’ve had in my career. I'm really enjoying having the first off season where I haven’t had a scope or a surgery or any kind of setback so I’m just looking at this season with excitement.” 

Phillips on the AFL being yet to announce an AFLW fixture 
“Obviously we'd like a schedule, but we can only control what we can control, so we’re focused on our training and that (CBA deal) will hopefully get done sooner rather than later and we can look forward to a schedule. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of training to do, a lot of work to do before that first game anyway, you can only really focus on what you can control.” 

Phillips on her experience in the men’s program 
“I’ve absolutely loved the experience that I’ve been given in the men's program and that's from skill execution to a wholistic outlook on running a football program, even how the boys turn up and get ready for trainings and games is so invaluable. What I’ve been exposed to at this club, I’m very lucky. This is a very passionate club, and it's been really successful. (The boys have won) eight in a row on the trot so it's been a really good vibe to be around as well.” 

Phillips on the expectations for 2023  
“No doubt fitness was a big one and that just comes with time and repetition and in our off-season, the girls have been doing a lot of work in that space and getting stronger. Experience is something you can’t teach, that just comes with time and that's what this team is all about – growing and getting better and making improvements. This is day one and the first step of becoming a better football team…the attitude is there so we’ve just got to keep it up the whole time.”